China and the United Kingdom have been engaging in a war of words over Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, who faces prosecution under national security laws and has been kept in custody for nearly two weeks.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called on the Hong Kong government to stop targeting Lai, adding that his case “highlights the authorities’ continued attacks on the rights and freedoms of its people.”

The media tycoon, 73, is accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and is remanded in custody until his trial in April next year.

On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in London expressed “grave concern and strong opposition” to Raab’s comments, which it called irresponsible.

“The unwarranted claims of the U.K. side on the case of Jimmy Lai constitute interference in Hong Kong’s judicial affairs, which are China’s internal affairs,” an embassy spokesperson said.

“The legal proceedings instituted against Jimmy Lai … for suspicion of undermining China’s national security in collusion with foreign or external forces are lawful steps taken by the enforcement institutions of the Hong Kong SAR who were fulfilling their duty. This brooks no slandering or disruption.”

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also added its voice to the chorus of disapproval, with spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying at a Beijing press briefing that the U.K. was undermining rule of law in Hong Kong. The former colonizers had no supervisory power or moral responsibility to the city, he added.

“What Britain should do is reject its colonial mentality and abandon its double standards [and] respect the HKSAR government and judicial departments as they perform their duties in accordance with the law,” Wang said.

Lai was again denied bail last Saturday, when many were shocked by images of him being led out of Lai Chi Kok detention center chained and handcuffed. Such treatment was usually reserved only for the most dangerous criminals, former lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun told Apple Daily.

Lin Chih-chien, mayor of Hsinchu city in Taiwan, said that the photo made a deep impression on his young child. “He asked me whether the man in the newspaper was a villain, and I saw that he was referring to a frontpage image of [Lai] in chains. I was shocked,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I told my child, [Lai] is not a villain, he is a person who upholds democracy and freedom, but he has been arrested by the Chinese government. Even though he was kept in chains, he is a hero to many — a hero bravely fighting injustice.”

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